Warner Considers Political Future

WASHINGTON — The longtime state senator said he is still leaning toward seeking re-election next year.

Eager to squelch speculation over his possible retirement, Virginia Sen. John W. Warner said Tuesday he is still leaning toward seeking re-election next year.

While a final decision won't be made until September, Warner said, "I'm still very interested in staying in the Senate."

Long one of Virginia's most enduring and relatively popular politicians, Warner would be seeking re-election next year at the age of 81. If re-elected, he would be 87 by the time he completes another six-year term.

Rumors of a pending retirement swelled last month after Warner reported raising only $500 in the first quarter of the year for a possible campaign.

The speculation threatened to resurface Tuesday when energy giant Dominion announced it had hired Warner's chief of staff and longtime aide Ann Loomis to serve as its new director of federal public policy in Washington.

Loomis, who has a child in college, said her pending departure from Warner's office had nothing to with the senator's political future.

"She's gotten a superb position, earning far more than yours truly," said Warner, who makes about $165,200 a year as a senator.

While he is inclined to seek another term, Warner said, he wants to give it serious thought over the summer and discuss the matter with his family.

Although his health is "excellent," he said, running for another term would be "a big commitment" that requires careful evaluation.

"I just want to be fair to Virginians," Warner said. "They've been fair to me. I want to be fair to them."

While his fundraising has been paltry to date, Warner -- a multimillionaire -- said he is confident he could raise the money required. He said he did not want to do so until he could tell supporters firmly that he is seeking re-election.

During the August recess, Warner said, he plans on taking a family trip with his wife and then making another visit to Iraq. A final re-election decision would come in September, he said.

A decision to step down would open up a Senate seat that has not been vacant since Warner first won it in 1978. U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-Fairfax, has been widely touted as a likely Republican successor if Warner retires. On the Democratic side, former Gov. Mark R. Warner has been urged to run, particularly if John Warner steps down.

Although the senator had said last year that a decision would come by this spring, he said Tuesday that he can afford to take a little more time.

"This state knows me," he said. "They don't need two years to sit down and make up their mind whether they want me to be re-elected. We can pull this thing together very soon."

Warner said his new chief of staff will be L. Carter Cornick, a former press secretary to the senator who now serves as a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Cornick, Warner said, comes with a "broad background in press, campaigns and management" that will be an asset for his Senate office. *